David Goldblatt's 2005 Photograph Documents Bethulie's Caged Horse Monument

In 2005, David Goldblatt took a photograph titled 'Monument Honouring the Contribution of the Horse to South African History' in Bethulie, Free State. The monument itself was designed by sculptor Laura Rautenbach and established by the Rapportryers of Bethulie in 1982. After bronze oxen were stolen from a Voortrekker monument in the area, the Rapportryers enclosed the horse sculpture in a steel cage for its protection in 2004. Goldblatt's image, a pigmented inkjet print measuring 21-5/8 x 27-1/4 inches, was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York through the Samuel J. Wagstaff, Jr. Fund. Published on artcritical.com on July 29, 2010, the copyright belongs to David Goldblatt from that year. The photograph highlights both the original tribute and the protective actions taken, marking a significant moment in South African public art history.